Tom Brady posted a cryptic image to his social media accounts on Thursday night.
The black-and-white image shows the longtime Patriots quarterback through the tunnel at a stadium, and it was posted without a caption.
Brady is a true free agent this offseason for the first time in his career, and he could wind up playing his final seasons outside of New England.
It's also possible that the post is something of a negotiating tactic from Brady, intended to show he's not afraid to leave.

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Tom Brady posted a cryptic image of himself walking through a tunnel on Thursday night.
The black-and-white photo was posted to his Twitter and Instagram accounts without a caption, leading some Patriots fans to fear that he could be set to retire, or even possibly join another team in free agency.

pic.twitter.com/P3mmWBb76V — Tom Brady (@TomBrady) January 30, 2020

After 20 years with the New England Patriots, Brady is a true free agent for the first time in his career. During his tenure with the Patriots, he and head coach Bill Belichick have won six Super Bowls, establishing New England as the most dominant dynasty in NFL history.
Brady and the Patriots had been to eight straight AFC Championships and three straight Super Bowls heading into this year's postseason, but their playoff run was cut short this year in the AFC Wild Card, where they lost 20-13 against the Tennessee Titans.
The relationship between Brady and the Patriots had been reportedly strained in recent years, but the two sides ultimately agreed on a one-year raise for 2019 that lets Brady hit the open market in the 2020 offseason, avoiding the possibility of being hit with the franchise tag.
"He's either staying in New England, he's retiring, or he's going to play somewhere else," ESPN's Adam Schefter said back in October. "I would think of those three that staying in New England, to me, would seem like the least likely option of the three."
After the Patriots lost in the playoffs, it felt possible that Brady had played his last NFL game, but he quickly put those rumors to bed with a statement that made it clear that he still wanted to suit up for the 2020 season.
But Brady's latest post had Patriots fans concerned.

Tom Brady just shared this. In the photo you can’t see if he is entering the stadium or leaving. Nice Tom, I’m gonna go cry now. https://t.co/dQIXiCWXyC — Savage Boston Sports 🇺🇸🍀❄️☃️ (@SavageBoston) January 30, 2020
*emotionally preparing for the end of BoJack**Tom Brady hints he’s leaving New England* pic.twitter.com/JNjjDgIjH5 — Lynnrae Smith (@LynnraeQ) January 30, 2020
Let me jump in and give my 2 cents. Brady is taking one last look at the stadium. He’s leaving...my work here is done. 😂😂😂 https://t.co/dsfVlLNJjy — No Guarantees (@ms_rhodes) January 31, 2020
literally every person in new england that just got that Tom Brady twitter notification pic.twitter.com/Rf2goPt22K — Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) January 30, 2020
Every Pats fan right now. pic.twitter.com/bmvzLH7CMR — Trade Watson to the Patriots (@Cris_Ocgd) January 30, 2020
Thanks Tom now I’m googling every single stadium tunnel in the NFL — Jon Blaze (@Jonnybillions) January 30, 2020

While Brady's post had fans concerned that his departure is imminent, its cryptic nature makes any clear interpretation impossible.
Brady could simply be trolling before announcing his return to New England, or hoping that the image serves as something of a negotiating tactic while angling for a new contract with the Patriots. It's also possible that sitting at home during Super Bowl weekend for the first time in four years, Brady felt like sending the NFL world into a tizzy from the comfort of his couch.
Still, for the first time in his career, Brady could play for a team other than the Patriots, and he seems delighted to keep fans on their toes.
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The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 on Sunday night to win Super...

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 on Sunday night to win Super Bowl LIV in Miami.
After the game, President Donald Trump attempted to tweet his congratulations to the Chiefs for their victory.
Unfortunately for the president, he mistakenly referenced the team as being from the state of Kansas, when the Chiefs actually hail from Kansas City, Missouri.
Trump quickly deleted and corrected his tweet, but not before plenty of Twitter users captured the moment for posterity.
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The Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV on Sunday, defeating the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 to lift the Lombardi Trophy for the first time in 50 years.
After the game, President Donald Trump tweeted congratulations to the team.
"Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs on a great game and a fantastic comeback under immense pressure," Trump wrote. "We are proud of you and the Great State of Kansas. You are true Champions!"
As many Twitter users were quick to point out, there was one small problem with Trump's tweet — the Kansas City Chiefs are based in Missouri, not Kansas.
Now deleted 🤦‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/VdvJqGdBPC — Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) February 3, 2020
Trump quickly deleted and replaced his erroneous tweet, correctly congratulating the state of Missouri in his second attempt.
Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs on a great game and a fantastic comeback under immense pressure. We are proud of you and the Great State of Missouri. You are true Champions! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 3, 2020
But despite Trump's correction, Twitter users weren't going to let his error go so easily.
trump really did say they represented the great state of kansas lmao — raandy (@randygdub) February 3, 2020
Trump is going to sign an executive order moving the state boundaries so Kansas City ends up in Kansas and therefore making his tweet correct. — Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) February 3, 2020
Tomorrow: Trump waves around a map in Oval Office showing that Kansas City is, in fact, in Kansas. pic.twitter.com/e5jb6R7RHf — Greg Krieg (@GregJKrieg) February 3, 2020
Trump is going to release a map tomorrow with Kansas City in Kansas isn’t he? — Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) February 3, 2020
For most Americans, mistakenly placing Kansas City in the state of Kansas is a harmless, comical learning experience — Kansas is right there in the name after all!
But when the mix-up comes from the President of the United States, the error is a bit more eyebrow-raising.
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San Francisco 49ers running back Raheem Mostert was unstoppable in the NFC Championship, with 220 yards...

San Francisco 49ers running back Raheem Mostert was unstoppable in the NFC Championship, with 220 yards and four touchdowns.
Mostert was far from an immediate superstar in the league, going undrafted in 2015 and getting cut by six different NFL teams before he finally landed in San Francisco.
Mostert keeps a list of his cut dates from previous NFL stops in his phone and looks at it before every game as motivation.
Follow along with all of our coverage of Super Bowl LIV here.
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San Francisco 49ers running back Raheem Mostert was unstoppable in the NFC Championship game.
In the biggest game of his career, Mostert showed up ready to play, taking 29 carries for 220 yards and four touchdowns. Led by Mostert, the 49ers rushing attack was so dominant that San Francisco didn't attempt a pass for more than 20 minutes of game time. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo finished with just eight attempts on the day, two of which targeted Mostert out of the backfield.
While Mostert certainly carried the load, that hasn't always been the case in his career. Far from an immediate superstar, Mostert, instead, started his career by going undrafted and getting cut six times by teams across the NFL before landing in San Francisco.
After not hearing his name called at the 2015 NFL Draft, Mostert spent practice squad stints with the Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, and Chicago Bears, before finally signing with the 49ers in 2016.
Through his first three years with San Francisco, Mostert was used sparingly, finally getting some playing time halfway through the 2018 season. Unfortunately, an injury would cut that season short, but Mostert showed enough to sign a three-year deal with San Francisco and in 2019 has developed into a breakout star for the 49ers at the perfect time.
"I did have a lot of doubters and naysayers," Mostert said of the teams that cut him early in his career. "Now I get to tell them, 'Hey, look where I am now.'"
According to a report from Kimberly Martin at Yahoo Sports, Mostert still uses his doubters as motivation before game days, keeping a list of his cut dates in his phone on his Notes app.
Per Martin:
"I should show you this right now," the 49ers running back said, as he reached into his pocket to reveal the personal source of his motivation.
At the top of the screen are two words: "Cut dates."
Beneath it, a list of all of the teams who deemed him unworthy of a roster spot.
Philly — September 4th, 2015
Dolphins — October 13th, 2015
Baltimore — December 14th, 2015
Browns — September 4th, 2016
After Mostert's monstrous performance on Sunday, he spoke out more on why he keeps the list, and how it has helped him keep going through tough times.
"It's crazy. I've been on seven different teams," Mostert said. "I actually still have the cut dates, and I look at that before every game. I look at the cut dates, when I got cut. ... Not everybody can deal with that type of stress. That type of pain and agony that I went through, but like I said, I kept the faith in not only myself, but whoever gave me an opportunity."
Raheem Mostert never gave up on his dream even after going undrafted and being cut by several teams 🙏(🎥 via @KNBR) pic.twitter.com/zOWrFL0UMS — Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) January 20, 2020
On Super Bowl Sunday, when Mostert is looking to replicate his dominant performance in the AFC title game, he'll be using those that never believed in him as motivation.
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